Illinois State head swimming coach Scott Cameron and head diving coach Phil Hoffmann announced the Redbirds’ 2017-18 swimming and diving schedule Thursday.
The schedule features five home dates, beginning with the team’s annual Red and White Intrasquad Meet on Sept. 16. The home slate also includes a dual with Indiana State on Sept. 30, a double dual with Illinois and Southern Illinois on Oct. 28, and duals with Northern Iowa and Wash U on Jan. 19 and 27, respectively.
The team will also travel for a double dual at Lewis, with Illinois Wesleyan, on Oct. 7, and dual meets at Ball State (Nov. 10) and Evansville (Jan. 26). Redbird swimmers will also compete at a large meet at Cincinnati, the Bearcat Midseason Swimming Invitational, Nov. 16-18.
“I’m excited for the upcoming season,” Cameron said. “We will be competing against some familiar teams as well as some new additions that will be very good competition for us throughout the season. This schedule will give us a chance to see how well we can compete, and set us up to be successful at the end of the year.”
Illinois State’s diving team will compete in two meets separate from the team’s swimmers: the TYR Invitational, hosted by Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, Nov. 17-19, and the UIC Diving Invitational, on Feb. 3 in Chicago, Illinois.
“I am very much looking forward to this upcoming season,” Hoffmann said. “Coach Cameron has put together a great schedule, which I believe will set us up for success. I am really looking forward to some of the new additions to the schedule.”
The 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Championships will be held Feb. 14-17 in Iowa City, Iowa, for the second-consecutive year.
Qualified swimmers will compete at the USA Swimming Winter Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 29 through Dec. 2. Columbus, Ohio will also host the NCAA Diving zone meet March 8-10, as well as the NCAA Championships, March 16-18.